Incontinence-associated dermatitis: A specific type of moisture-associated skin damage that results from exposure to urine or stool.

Microclimate: The dermal microclimate is found where the patient’s skin contacts their support surface. Factors related to skin microclimate that affect tissue tolerance include moisture (humidity), skin temperature, and air movement.

Moisture management: Involves maintaining and supporting a suitable moist wound healing environment. This process may be aided through exudate assessment, appropriate wound bed preparation, and the use of absorptive dressings.

National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel Staging System: Created by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel, this staging system defines 4 stages of pressure injuries, as well as unstageable pressure injuries and deep tissue pressure injury.

Nonblanchable erythema: A reddening or discoloration of the skin that does not turn white when pressure is applied. While often considered a key sign of a stage 1 pressure ulcer, this feature may be difficult or impossible to visually detect in darker skin colors, underlining the importance of not relying on visual assessment alone. 

Offloading: The mechanical process of distributing weight and dynamic forces evenly.

Pressure injury: Localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue, usually over a bony prominence or related to medical or other devices. 

Repositioning: Changes in patient position at regular intervals in an effort to redistribute pressure from certain parts of the body.

Skin assessment: A comprehensive evaluation of various aspects of skin characteristics implemented for a variety of reasons, one of which being identification of at-risk areas for pressure injury, a comprehensive skin assessment should be given with specific attention to skin temperature, skin color, skin moisture, skin turgor, and skin integrity.

Subepidermal moisture measurement: One example of technology that may be used to overcome the challenge of detecting pressure injury when visual skin changes are not present, subepidermal moisture measurement can detect deep tissue damage by measuring moisture levels below the skin’s surface, generally through the use of a specialized handheld scanner.

Support surface: A specialized device, such as a mattress, cushion, chair, etc., that may be used to aid in the redistribution of pressure, reduction in shearing, and optimization of skin microclimate as part of a pressure injury prevention or treatment plan. 

Thermography: To aid in the detection of pressure injuries where visual skin changes are not present, thermography is a technology that employs infrared

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